Car-door.



F. MATHEWS.

CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION F 1,185,228.v f

ILED APR. 7| |915.

Patented May 30,1916.

OFFIC.

FRED MATHEws, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-Doon.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented 'May so, .19116.

Application filed April 7, 19.15. Serial ITO. 19,659.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRED Marl-ruwe, a

citi/zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvernents in Car-Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

My invention relates to sliding car doors, and particularly to the means for supporting the same and retaining them in position against the car.

The object of my invention is to dispense with the use of the usual supporting brackets below the door-way in View of the rough usage to which they are subjected while the car is being loaded and unloaded, and the liability of such damage to the same as to render the sliding of the door more difficult, and to substitute therefor anti-friction elements that enable the door to be operated just vras easily and are out of the way when the door is open.-

Another object of my invention is to in sure the perfect alinement of the door both at the top and bottom thereof during the reciprocable movements thereof, and to provide for an emergency support for the same in the event of the regular means for supporting its lower edge breaking or giving away.

These and other objects I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of the central portion of a box-car and a. sliding door to which my improvements are applied. Fig. 2 is a section of a fragment of the same, taken on dotted line 2-2, Fig. 1, and drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a section of another fragment thereof, taken on dotted line 3 3, Fig. 1, and drawn to the same scale as Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section of yet another fragment, taken on dotted line 4 4, Fig. l, and drawn to the same scale as Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a portion of a box-car having the usual doorway a therein, the sill of which is protected by a sheet metal sill-plate I), and which, preferably, is built out, say, an inch from the side of the car. The door B for closing said door-way is of any ofthe usual rectangular constructions, and has its lower edge shod by a longitudinally disposed Z-bar C, the horizontal web of which is placed nflat against the lower edge of the door, the outer vertical flange of which laps against and protects the outer lower ymargins of the saine, and the inner vertical flange c of which projectsdownwardv below the said lower edge of the door in practically the same vertical plane as the inner side thereof. The upper edge of the ,door is likewise protected by a longitudinally disposed Z-bar D. The width of the web d of this Z'bar is greater than that of the upper edge ofthe door to which it is applied, and when its outer vertical flange is secured against the outer upper margins of said door the said web will loverhang the inner yside of the same and the projecting lintel of the door-way, say about three-quarters of an inch. The inner flange e of Z-bar D projects upward, as shown, back of the lower portion of ymetal plate g which is secured to the kouter surface of and depends below the lower 'edge of a fascia E which latter is secured to the 'side of the car above the horizontal plane of the top of the door-way a suitable distance. Y

If the lower supports for the door should give way and the 'door drop, the overhang of Z-bar D would drop `onto the yprojecting lin tel ofthe door-way or onto the rangle-iron brackets f, f, secured at suitable distances apart to the side of the car to the right of the door-way and be sustained thereby land prevented from falling olf the same by the engagement of the upper part of flange e with the depending portion of plate g.

The inner surface of the lower forward corner portion of the door has a rectangular plate l1, suitably secured thereto, and this plate has a stud projecting inwardly at right angles to the door upon which an anti-friction wheel G is journaled, which is of such diameter, that when the door is in pro-per operative position, it will rest and travel upon the outer edge of the sill-plate b.

When the door is closed its lower edge is retained against the side of the car by two brackets II, I-I, and by a bracket I. Brackets I-I consist of Z-shaped metal bodies the lower portions of which are bolted or otherwise se-V cured to the side of the car belowthe plane of the door-way and the remaining portion of which projects outward and upward in front of the lower flange c of Z-bar C. These brackets are strengthened Yby suitable braces Y jacent to the left-hand jamb of the doorway and the other under the center of the door-l way. Bracket I is located under the righthand jamb of the door-way and has a wheel J journaled therein that comes in contact with the horizontal web of Z-bar C and di rectly supports the door. rlhis bracket I is substantially the same in construction as that for which I applied for Letters Patent of the United States February 19, 1915, Serial No. 9,353, and further detailedvdescription thereof is deemed unnecessary. Besides these brackets H, H, and I, two more brackets K, K, are employed to support the door when it is slid back to open the doorway. These brackets K, K, are similar to I, and are secured to the side of the car at the right of the door-way in the same plane as the other brackets, and have anti-friction rollers lc that come directly in contact with and support the door, and these brackets K and brackets H and I are, preferably, placed at equal distances apart corresponding to a little less than one-half the Width of the door-way.

In operation, when the door is in its opened position it is supported by brackets I and K, but as it moves toward the righthand jamb of the door-way its advanced edge is supported more and more by wheel G. Brackets H not having rollers or antifriction wheels are less liable to become injured, and as they are not intended to support the door would not present any interference with the progress of the door if they did get injured. Y

What I claim as new is:

1. The combination with a box-car having a doorway in the side thereof, of a sliding door, anti-friction means mounted on the inside of the door adjacent the lower forward corner of the same which rests upon and has reciprocable engagement with the sill of said door-way, and elements secured to the side of the car below the plane of the door-way that support the end of the door opposite said anti-friction means.

2. The combination with a boX car having a doorway in the side thereof, of a sliding door, anti-friction means mounted on the inside of the door adjacent the lower forward corner of the same which rests upon and has reciprocable engagement with the sill of said doorway, elements secured to the side of the car below the plane of the doorway that support the end of the door opposite said anti-friction means, and means for slidably locking the top edge of the door to the car.

3. In a car, the combination with a car body having a doorway, a horizontal sill at the bottom of said doorway, an overhanging horizontal guide way arranged above the doorway, of a door having an inwardly projecting guide element secured to its upper edges engaging said horizontal guide-way, and anti-friction means mounted on the inside of the door intermediate its top and bottom and arranged to travel on the horizontal bottom sill.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this th day of March, 1915.

FRED MATHEws. [1.. s]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

n Washington, D. C. 

